Fare Evasion & Free Rides: Who's Shouldering the $3 Cost?

Is that extra dime just covering free rides?

The MTA says fare evasion costs the system over $700 million a year: money that could've kept fares lower or funded long-deferred maintenance. That number has become a rallying cry for tougher enforcement and new station design. But while the agency installs "modern fare gates" at 20 pilot stations and adds cameras above turnstiles, the question of fairness lingers.

Critics argue that the MTA's math conflates missed swipes with deliberate theft, and that aggressive policing often lands hardest on low-income riders, teens, and people of color. Yet fare evasion isn't evenly spread; at some stations, nearly a quarter of riders skip payment entirely.

Meanwhile, redesigned turnstiles, delayed emergency exits, and a wave of summonses are testing whether deterrence can coexist with equity.